Asheville Artists Podcast, “Episode 9: Nicolette Leigh Yates”

Asheville-based mixed-media painter Nicolette Leigh Yates joined Adam Graham on the Asheville Artists podcast to talk about her studio practice in the River Arts District, her process of finding figures and creatures hidden in abstract painted surfaces (pareidolia), and what art means to her.

Rapid River Magazine Feature: “Nicolette Leigh Yates and Pareidolia”, April 2026 Issue

In a full-page feature in Rapid River Magazine, writer Dennis Ray spoke with Nicolette about the perceptual phenomenon of pareidolia and how it shapes her colorful acrylic and mixed-media paintings. The conversation covers her 2018 shift to intuitive mark-making, her ArtsAVL grant-funded series, and her connection to Asheville's arts community. Page 12

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Arts AVL Awards Over $100,000 to Support Artists Across Six WNC Counties

Nicolette was one of 74 artists to receive an ArtsAVL Artist Support Grant in 2025.

From the announcement:

"Nicolette Leigh Yates is a visual artist based in Asheville whose mixed-media practice on paper grew from early imaginative connections to landscape and evolved through formal study in sculpture and geology at UNC Asheville. She will use her Artist Support Grant to develop mixed-media work on panel-mounted paper, advancing her technical practice and highlighting her strengths in drawing and material process."

Voyage Raleigh Feature: “Conversations with Nicolette Leigh Yates”, December 2025 Issue

Voyage Raleigh profiled Nicolette as part of their ongoing series spotlighting creative entrepreneurs in North Carolina. The feature explores her dual practice as a fine artist and web designer, her roots in rural NC, and how her Asheville studio has become a hub for whimsical, figure-driven paintings and mixed media.

New Art Studio RAD Rendezvous Opens in Asheville's River Arts District

RAD Rendezvous, a new art studio in Asheville's River Arts District, held its grand opening on September 16, 2025. Opened by the team behind the Radical Hotel, the studio houses around 30 artists and includes the RAD Welcome Center. Nicolette gave WLOS News 13 a tour and helped paint the welcome mural at the entrance. She spoke about the importance of visibility for artists still displaced after Hurricane Helene, and expressed optimism about the community's resilience and recovery.

Art by Artists: 740 - Nicolette Leigh Yates

Stan of Art by Artists invited Nicolette for an in-depth audio interview about her mixed-media painting practice, her use of neon pinks and vivid blues, and the imaginative world of animals, figures, and hidden forms that come to life on her canvases.